ZAGREB, Sept 10 (Hina) - Participants in a round-table discussion organised by the Centre for Human Rights in Zagreb on Tuesday supported the adoption of a law on the implementation of the statute of the International Criminal Court
(ICC), but expressed doubt as to how much the law would contribute to the efficiency of courts in prosecuting war crimes and influence the prevailing public disapproval of war crimes trials.
ZAGREB, Sept 10 (Hina) - Participants in a round-table discussion
organised by the Centre for Human Rights in Zagreb on Tuesday
supported the adoption of a law on the implementation of the statute
of the International Criminal Court (ICC), but expressed doubt as
to how much the law would contribute to the efficiency of courts in
prosecuting war crimes and influence the prevailing public
disapproval of war crimes trials. #L#
The round table discussion, which addressed the prosecution of war
crimes in Croatia and changes in the Croatian judiciary, was
attended by some 20 legal experts, professors, state attorneys and
representatives of relevant state bodies, non-government
organisations and international institutions.
The bill on the implementation of the ICC's statute and prosecution
of crimes against the international law of war and humanitarian law
is under parliamentary procedure. It is aimed at regulating
relations with the newly-founded permanent International Criminal
Court in The Hague in prosecuting war crimes committed after the
ICC's Statute went into force in mid-2002.
Procedural provisions of that law will also apply to cooperation
with the temporary International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia (ICTY) for the sake of facilitating the processing of
war crimes committed during the aggression on Croatia and the
Homeland War and the possible transfer of trials to Croatian
courts.
Croatian Helsinki Committee president Zarko Puhovski said he
doubted the Croatian judiciary would be able to prosecute war
crimes more efficiently because it was burdened with too many
cases. Another problem is the fact that less than a half of some
4,000 war crimes indictees have been put on trial, Puhovski said,
adding that only 17 of those sentenced were Croats. Two of those
were acquitted and none of the 17 verdicts was final, he added.
Puhovski believes that the level of public awareness in Croatia and
Serbia, as well as among Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina, does not
benefit the prosecution of war crimes.
Ivo Josipovic, a professor of law involved in the drawing up of the
law, believes that parliamentary deputies' support in principle to
the law and their decision to adopt it after two readings rather
than under urgent procedure, indicates disagreement with the
content of the law.
The ICTY has not voiced its view of the bill, but it supports in
principle any move facilitating the prosecution of war crimes, said
Denis Besedic of the ICTY's Zagreb office.
Parliamentary deputy Nenad Stazic objected that trials before the
ICTY were too long and that those acquitted were not indemnified for
the time spent in prison.
Josipovic said that the ICTY had requested in a report to the UN
Security Council that a fund be established for that purpose, but
the request was turned down. He added that the ICC would have such a
fund.
(hina) rml